Crushed Attitude
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: When Chuckie starts acting rude towards his friends, they know something is up. They know his attitude shift has to do with him being paired with the school's angry Goth in science class, but is there more than meets the eye? One-shot. Theme from my Infinite Theme List Challenge. R&R.


CRUSHED ATTITUDE

Tommy stepped into high school and moved upstairs to his locker. When he heard someone walking behind him, he looked up and saw Chuckie moving towards his locker across the hall. After Tommy put up his science textbook and picked up his math one for first period, he strolled over to check in with his buddy. He hadn't seen him since last Thursday thanks to a family trip, so he was eager to check in.

"Hey, Chuckie, how's it hanging?" Tommy grinned.

Chuckie slammed his locker shut, "Leave me alone!" he screamed, running off.

"What the-? What's gotten into him?" Tommy asked, looking up the hall at the two figures left standing and watching Chuckie run off. When they started walking again, Tommy recognized the pink highlight in Lil's hair and Phil's hood. "Hey, what's up with him?"

"We have no idea. He's been like that since Friday afternoon. That morning he was fine, then POOF! He magically turned into the meanest grump in this whole school, and that's saying something," Lil sighed, leading the way towards the locker she shared with Phil at the end of the hall.

"We've got theories but none have panned out. And since he wouldn't return our calls this weekend, we couldn't even test our theories. Mom says he's just going through a phase. Maybe it's hormones or whatever," Phil shrugged, holding the books Lil needed to switch out.

"How could he change so quickly over hormones? Is that what we'll all be like?" Tommy asked.

Lil scoffed, "I doubt it. We've all been in puberty for years now, so yeah, Mom's little theory is trash. Well, mostly trash. My current theory, and Phil still hasn't talked me out of it yet, is that he got a new pair in science class like we did. He's in the late morning class and we're in the afternoon one, but I bet the switch-up was through all of his classes. I think he either got paired with someone completely horrible or amazing, one of the two. But I think that's our culprit right there."

"I still have doubts but I have nothing to prove it," Phil muttered as Lil closed their locker. "Do you have any ideas, Tommy?"

"No, but Lil could be right. I'm in that class too, and if he got with Janet, he'd probably be super mad," Tommy said.

Lil groaned at the name while Phil quietly shook his head. Janet was a raging Goth who was angry at the world. People who were stuck with her in group projects found themselves on the receiving end of ridiculous rants, from the obvious "The school cafeteria's food is GARBAGE!" to the not-so-obvious "MCR needs to get back together NOW so I can see them in concert!" Some teachers noticed and made her work alone, but not their science teacher. You had to have partners, sometimes groups of three or more, and you were stuck with them for at least two weeks, aka how long it took him to get through a unit.

Phil shook his head as the halls started to fill up. They all wanted to keep discussing Chuckie, but it was time for homeroom. Phil was in one, Lil another, and the same was for Tommy and Chuckie. Their high school was so large they rarely had classes together. In fact, their science class was the only one Tommy shared with Chuckie, and he was eager to get there so he could really see what was going on.

Tommy went to the front of the room as soon as he arrived in class. His little vacation caused him to miss the pair switch-up, so he needed to figure out who he'd be put with. A quick check of the list showed he was in a group of three with Molly Hetchum and Tray Marcus, two pretty nice people, who thankfully sat at the back of the room. Tommy would have a good view of the entire room from where he'd be sitting.

Thankfully he hadn't missed much. After a short lecture to go over some vocabulary, the groups were to observe plants, first as-is then under a microscope. It was simple stuff where high school science was concerned. Since Molly and Tray were close outside of class, they talked to each other while ignoring Tommy. They still did the work, otherwise Tommy would be upset. This was really a gift in disguise because he could look over to Chuckie's table without interruption.

As he guessed, Chuckie had ended up with Janet. Her thick black hair was braided today and spun into a very messy bun that bobbed around in such a way that Tommy knew it had to hurt. Her black fingernail polish was chipping from what Tommy could tell, but other than that her all black outfit was on point. The only strange thing Tommy saw was that Janet wasn't the only one ranting. Chuckie was joining in, and he seemed happy to do so, not the happy was the right word. They were both flushed with irritation as they did their work in between long sentences probably filled with whatever they were fed up with today.

I can't believe it. My best friend is becoming a Janet. We have to stop this.

Tommy was eager for the day to end so he could meet up with his friends in private. The minutes ticked by slowly, but finally they were able to get together in Tommy's room. After bribing Dil with a candy bar to be left alone, they were able to discuss Chuckie in private.

"So, he did get paired with Janet. That explains the attitude change, but you said he liked it?" Lil asked.

Tommy nodded, "He seemed to like it anyway. They went back and forth through the whole class. It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen. Chuckie used to get mad, but never ranting mad like Janet gets at everything."

"What does he even have to be mad about?" Phil scoffed, shaking his head. "I think we need to find a way to talk to him without her. I say we drop by their house in a few minutes. Chas should've dropped him off by then after Kimi's practice, and I know they wouldn't let Miss Queen of Darkness in their home without an exorcism first."

"Let's start walking then. I'll go tell Mom and meet you guys out front," Tommy said, grabbing his coat. They walked down the stairs together, but Tommy moved into the kitchen, where Didi was flipping through cookbooks to figure out what she could cook for dinner. "Hey, Mom, we're going over to Chuckie's house. He's been acting weird and we need to talk to him. I don't know when we'll be back."

"Well I hope you don't take too long. Betty gave me a roast to cook for dinner, but I couldn't slow cook it, so I'm finding something else to do. You better get here to eat it because I'm sure it'll be delicious," Didi smirked.

"I'm sure it will," Tommy nodded, waving before heading outside. Once he was with the twins, they walked the familiar route over to Chuckie's house. Little had changed since they were kids. A few houses had new landscaping or had some exterior work done, and a few had lost or gained children's toys, but for the most part, nothing was different.

When they got to the house, they realized they'd misjudged Chuckie's parents. Not only had Chas probably driven Janet home along with Chuckie and Kimi, but now she was sitting at their breakfast nook with Kira, who was also flipping through cookbooks.

"Did we fall into an alternate reality or something?" Phil gasped, following Tommy behind some bushes.

"Let's see what's going on here. There has to be more to this," Tommy whispered. The twins didn't argue. They followed Tommy into the side yard, where they could easily see into the kitchen's breakfast nook. And best yet, a window was open so they could actually hear what was going on inside.

"So your mom is the head chef at that swanky new restaurant downtown?" Chas asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before sitting with Janet.

"Yeah, but it's not her first time. She was head chef in New York City before meeting my step-dad and moving here. She worked odd kitchen jobs for a while, and she even did some private chef work over at the country club, but this is her first head chef job here," Janet explained. In a calm voice. The kids were shocked but they kept listening anyway.

"What does your step-dad do?" Kira asked as she flipped another stage.

Janet smiled, "Oh, that recipe is one of her best. You should try it, and if you need anything just let me know. I know where the best ingredients are and Chuckie could help," she said. Kira agreed, then Janet answered her question as Kira moved among the cabinets, "He's the CFO down at the window plant outside of town. He went up to Mom's restaurant for a business trip luncheon and the rest is history. He's a decent guy, I guess."

"Nothing like your real father huh?" Chas grinned.

"No, that's not it. My real dad is well, I don't know what words to use with you because I respect you, but yeah, I'm glad I have someone who treats us right. He's just so much more bland than I thought Mom would end up with," Janet explained, looking over the cookbook.

"I think that cookbook belongs to her mom," Lil whispered.

"No kidding, Lil," Phil scoffed. They two started to argue but Tommy successfully quieted them.

"Looks like I have everything I need, but maybe you can help us with something this weekend when the farmer's markets come to town," Kira smiled.

"That is the best time to go. We know shortcuts, but yeah, that's the best time," Janet nodded as Chuckie appeared. "Hey, Chuck, wanna catch that movie before dinner? I think Mom's cookbook should be enough for Kira."

"Sure, let's go," Chuckie nodded, leading her outside. Chas merely waved them off, and Kira was focused on her dinner. They had no idea their son was apparently dating a monster, but Tommy and the twins knew, so they followed them stealthily, staying several steps behind and hiding in bushes whenever they could. This allowed them to hear everything, and as they suspected, Janet was all complaints.

"Your house is just too quiet. How is it that you have a sister but the place is so sterile? I don't know how you live there," Janet scoffed, shaking her head fiercely.

"They are miserable. Dad still insists on tucking me in," Chuckie admitted. Janet laughed derisively, more towards Chas than Chuckie thankfully. Chuckie nodded, "Yeah, it's embarrassing. Like have another kid if you want someone to treat like a four-year-old."

"Why haven't they had another kid? Dad not cut out for baby making?" Janet asked, elbowing Chuckie.

Chuckie shrugged, "I don't know, but I'm kinda glad they didn't have another kid. Then the place would be so loud, and I think Kimi and I would be jealous."

"Yeah, they probably would spoil them like crazy. Then you'd be wanting them to tuck you in. It's ridiculous. Parents just can't divide their attention really well. Why do you think I'm so messed up?" Janet asked, twirling her finger next to her ear to say I'M CRAZY.

"How old is Poppy? Four?"

"Three and three quarters. Get it right," Janet groaned, skillfully stepping over a root. "She is the biggest diva, like, EVER, and because she wants to start ballet when she turns four, I have to get a job if I want money. Mom says I can get one at the restaurant, but I hate cooking, I hate busting tables, I hate taking orders, and I absolutely hate washing dishes. I've put in an application at the music store online, but they told me I have to be at least sixteen. I won't be sixteen for too long. I'll have to find something in the meantime or I won't have any money for CD's. Could you help me?"

"I don't have a job either. Maybe we can get one together. Why don't we see if the movies are hiring? They don't care if you're fifteen," Chuckie offered.

"Eww, popcorn all through your shift? Screaming kids? Catching nasty people making out in the dark? Um, no thank you," Janet scoffed.

Chuckie stopped her, causing Tommy and the twins to run into each other as they hid in some bushes. Chuckie grabbed Janet's shoulders and looked her in the eye…by looking up to her, "Look, beggars can't be choosers. Let's just see what they have. We'll get through this."

"Okay," Janet said, just like that, hugging him closely.

"I can't take this anymore. Let's just go home," Lil spat. Phil nodded in agreement, but Tommy was torn. He wanted to see this through, but seeing his best friend dating the school's one Goth with a big mouth and a bad attitude made him want to stick around.

In the end, the twins won. He had to get out of there.

The next morning, Tommy didn't know how he felt. He'd had the whole evening to think this out-Chuckie and Janet became new lab partners and instantly started dating, prompting his attitude shift. He was now like Janet, treating people openly like crap when he could. He and Janet could both flip off the attitude in the right company, but Tommy knew the truth-she was a ranter, and she'd turned Chuckie into one.

But his kind nature was still there, otherwise he wouldn't try to get a job with her. He'd refused Tommy on the offer because he was too nervous to go through with any interviews, but he was willing to overlook that for Janet. He liked her, and Tommy knew if he could just talk to Chuckie, they could work something out.

At school, Tommy found Chuckie alone at his locker. Tommy knew what he had to do, so he walked up with purpose and said, "Hey, I approve of you dating Janet, but you can't treat all of us like crapola just because you got a new girlfriend."

Chuckie closed his locker, "You don't understand anything, Tommy. Maybe I don't want to hang out with you anymore. Maybe I'd rather hang out with Janet."

"For no reason at all? Or are you mad that I went on a trip and went off-grid?" Tommy asked.

"I knew you'd go off-grid. That's not what I'm getting at," Chuckie replied, looking around carefully, "You're only telling me you approve of Janet and me. You don't really mean it."

"Actually he does. We all feel this way," Lil said. The boys hadn't noticed the twins come up, but now that they were here, Tommy was happy for the backup.

"She means that. We saw you yesterday, then we talked about it. We don't mind you having a girlfriend, but you can't just switch personalities on us and run off into the sunset with her. Why do you think we wouldn't like her anyway? I mean, yeah, it's Janet, but if you let us get to know your girlfriends instead of blowing us off, you can convince us of anything," Phil said firmly.

Chuckie scratched his head, "None of you really know Janet. I don't think you know what you're saying."

"What do we need to say, Chuckie?!" Lil exclaimed. "We approve. Have lunch with us. Show us who she is then tell us if we're making it up or not, which we're NOT, okay?"

"Fine, we'll have lunch with you, but only if Janet approves," Chuckie replied, attempting to walk away.

Phil grabbed his arm, "We know she eats outside. Meet us at the door and we'll go wherever she wants…on school grounds," he added.

Chuckie nodded and moved off, probably to find Janet. That left Tommy and the twins alone. They moved to a quiet part of the hallway to talk.

"So, when did you decide on Janet?" Tommy asked, leaning against the wall.

"She was really nice with him, and they listened to each other. It was sweet," Lil shrugged, looking up, "but if she hurts him, she's dead meat. She only thinks she's hot stuff. I could beat her anytime on anything."

"And I think it's an act," Phil whispered, also shrugging, "I mean, you can't just flip it on and off unless you never meant it in the first place. Otherwise she would've blown him off day one."

"I'm surprised she didn't, but maybe they have something special. That's why I decided to go with it, but I'll only be okay with it if he stays friends with us," Tommy said as the first bell rang. The twins nodded in agreement before heading off to homeroom.

The group sat underneath some trees near the cafeteria's exit. Janet had a homemade sandwich, a luxury sandwich, and she'd given a second one to Chuckie. Apparently her mother knew too and was also okay with the relationship, which surprised Tommy and the twins. Things had happened fast, but at least they had some answers about Chuckie's personality shift. Now they just had to convince them both to snap out of it.

"So, how do you like it here?" Lil asked, breaking the silence. "You've been here what, three years now?"

"Almost," Janet nodded. "It blows, but my old school was worse. It was private. Mom's business partner paid for it and it was miserable. Everyone knew I wasn't one of them so I stuck to myself. I tried to keep that up here but Chuckie saw through it. He just called me out on it, and it looks like you guys are the same. Most of what you see is the real me. I love black, I love MCR, and I love complaining."

"But?" Phil asked with a raised eyebrow…and a small grin.

"But," Janet smiled, "I don't mind people. I do miss having good friends, but it's going to take time for me to readjust. Chuckie is helping me, and I think I rubbed off on him. No more bad attitudes, Chuck. I'd say that's for the both of us, but I'll need more time. You need to stay sweet like always," she winked, booping him on the nose.

Chuckie smiled, "Hey, guys, we were thinking about getting jobs together. Maybe we can all get a job together."

"Where would hire all of us? It would have to be a brand new business," Lil countered.

"My mom could really use the help at the restaurant," Janet whispered. "I mean, I don't want to work at the kitchens or in the dining room, but maybe it could work if I had people there I could trust. And I need money for concerts, and you guys could totally come with."

"There's an MCR tribute band at one of the teen clubs," Lil smirked. "Ten dollar cover, but you need at least twenty if you want food, fifty if you want merch. I can take you once we get positions, but nothing too hard core. I say Phil and I do dishes."

"I could be a waiter. My mom always says I'm really polite," Tommy said, and Chuckie nodded in agreement. He too wouldn't mind being a waiter, so that left Janet.

"I'll work in the kitchen with Mom. One of the prep cooks quit the other day, so she needs me. I'll text her now, and…thanks for pushing Chuckie. If you guys hadn't come after him to see what was up, I wouldn't have found you guys. I think we'll be good friends, once you guys rub off on me some more. It'll take some practice being nice, but…you guys will let me rant, right?"

"Only if we rant with you," Lil grinned, raising her milk carton up. Janet nodded with a grin as she finished her sandwich and pulled out her phone. By the end of the day, the group had jobs, and they were back to being good terms, plus one extra member.

Janet finished peeling some potatoes and began washing them at the prep sink. Tommy and Chuckie, dressed in pressed white shirts with black slacks, entered with orders. After calling them to the line, they waved to Janet before moving to the drink prep station to complete their orders.

"Phillip, move over!" Lil groaned. Phil sprayed her with water with a smile. "HEY!" Lil exclaimed, squirting him back."

"Twins, we need those plates ASAP," Janet's mom called, but she was grinning too. She was so happy that her daughter had made friends, and after three weeks, things were great. Janet and Chuckie were close, going to the movies most Friday nights, but Janet was hanging out with the group too. She even went out with Lil to the teen club to see the MCR tribute band, and life was good. People were finally seeing her in a good light, and she had Tommy and the gang to thank.

~End

Theme 16: Personality Changes

A/N: Theme is from my Infinite Theme List. I prepared it for Arthur first, but I think I should be able to do most of them for Rugrats too. I've put the list of 200 themes on my profile, so feel free to check it out and add your own.

As for this piece, I think it all happened a little fast, but I really like Janet. I have other ideas for high school era pieces, so I could totally use her as an OC in another piece. If you guys have ideas, let me know. And please let me know what you think in the reviews. Any comments are much appreciated.


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